


Onward

by tarthiana



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, JB Week, JB Week 2019, Jaime/Brienne Appreciation Week, Longing, Post Season 7, Post dragon pit, Season 8? We don't know her, Sharing a Bed, Snowed In, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-10 18:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20856146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarthiana/pseuds/tarthiana
Summary: Jaime heads north to fulfill his promise to Brienne.





	Onward

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for JB Week 2019. This year the theme was Jaime and Brienne through the seasons. I chose winter and the prompt snowed in.
> 
> A special thank you to my beta, lewispanda. You make all this possible.
> 
> Enjoy~

Winter had come. The nights grew long as the wind howled and the snow fell foot by freezing foot. It wasn’t the delicate, powdery snow of childhood memories. It was torrid, and angry, and unbelievably _ cold_.

Lannisters were not meant for this weather. They were of the sun.

Jaime shivered as he remembered the last time he had felt the warmth of sunshine upon his face. It seemed so long ago.

There had once been a time where he was drunk on sunlight. That too seemed like a lifetime ago.

_ Brienne_. She had to be in Winterfell by now.

Seeing her at the dragon pit had awakened something in Jaime he thought was long dead. Her eyes – in a truly astonishing blue – held a plea.

_ Come with me. _

Her strong grip on his forearm had sent his head spinning. When was the last time they had touched? Before Riverrun, certainly, though his heart had leapt at her presence then. The urge to embrace Brienne the moment she had walked into his tent was powerful.

They were drawn to one another, caught in each other’s orbit.

_ Fight with me. _

Cersei had noticed. In fact, Jaime was certain that most of the dragon pit representatives had noticed.

He used to be able to conceal his feelings under the cocksure persona of The Kingslayer, but Brienne had ripped that away from him like a scab, leaving Jaime raw and honest.

_ Be with me. _

Jaime shivered again as an icy wind blew through his cloak. He was woefully underprepared for this cold, his departure from King’s Landing was abrupt.

His horse was urged onward through the King’s Road. The weather would not stop him, no matter how unpleasant.

Weeks passed as winter made its presence known. Jaime rode through bitter cold, freezing rain and unforgiving wind. He soldiered on.

The further north Jaime rode, the colder it became. Daylight only held for a few precious hours, and sunlight was always obscured by thick, gray clouds. It was a miserable trek, but Jaime was unrelenting.

_ Brienne_, his heart seemed to call. _ Brienne, Brienne, Brienne… _

When Jaime finally saw the stone walls of Winterfell in the distance, a rush of emotions washed over him. Relief, hope, longing, fear. Wave after wave hitting him, nearly knocking the knight to his knees.

As he came through the gates and dismounted, the people scattered around Winterfell’s courtyard ignored him. By the looks of things, they were preparing for a siege, but Jaime knew these preparations were for no ordinary battle. The Long Night was would soon be upon the north, and if they failed it would soon touch all of Westeros.

“Ser Jaime,” a choked voice called to him. He turned to meet the most magnificent eyes in the seven kingdoms.

“Lady Brienne,” he managed to say.

Both looked equally shocked and terrified. A moment of silence passed between the two before Brienne discreetly led Jaime inside the castle and to her private quarters.

“What are you doing here?” Brienne asked as she shut and locked the door.

“I believe you told me to ‘fuck loyalty.’”

Brienne frowned.

“You were right,” Jaime said quickly. “This goes beyond houses and oaths. I promised to fight for the living, and I’m here to do that.”

“Where are the rest of the soldiers that your sister promised?”

A grim expression took hold of Jaime as he whispered, “I’m afraid all I can offer is the service of an old cripple. No one else was sent. Only I came.”

Brienne’s eyes widened with understanding. There would be no reinforcements. This army was all that stood against the others.

“I see,” she said. “You are an honorable man, Ser Jaime, to keep your promise.”

His eyes fell to his feet, unable to meet Brienne’s. She would be able to see the truth written on his face.

“My honor is shit,” he said. “My reasons for coming were selfish. I couldn’t bear the thought of you dying in this frozen wasteland.”

Brienne did not reply, but a blush covered her face and neck.

“I don’t plan on dying here,” she whispered, finally.

Jaime’s head snapped up. His defenses crumbled at her words, and his feelings lay bare across his face.

_ I love you, Brienne. I was made to love and be loved by you. _

They both reached out and clasped hands. The warmth from Brienne’s hand radiated through Jaime’s frigid and travel-weary body. He brought her hand to his lips and bestowed a feather-light kiss upon her knuckles.

“I have thought of nothing but you for weeks,” he told her. “I cannot bare to be without you, my lady. I do not know how I have survived it thus far.”

Brienne fought through her shyness. “When I left King’s Landing in search of the Stark girls, I didn’t think I would ever see you again. But we keep crossing paths, and every time I think it will be the last, you surprise me.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I-I do not wish to be parted from you again, Jaime.”

Jaime closed the distance between them, embracing her fully and resting his head into the crook of her neck. He breathed in her scent, letting it flood his senses and clear his mind.

She felt it, too.

They stayed wrapped in each other’s arms as the wind began to howl menacingly outside. A storm was brewing.

“They think a snowstorm will pass through here tonight,” Brienne said. “Lord Snow and Queen Daenerys are not in Winterfell, and won’t be for some time, if the weather permits. I will keep you safe when they come.”

“My protector,” he sighed into her neck.

He pulled back from her embrace to capture Brienne’s large lips in a gentle kiss.

They slept in her room that night, limbs tangled together and wrapped around each other under warm furs. By morning, snow seven feet high blanketed Winterfell. Preparations for the upcoming battle were temporarily halted, and the people of the castle took a much needed break with hot mulled wine.

“It appears we are snowed in,” Jaime mused as he glanced out the window.

“So it does,” Brienne said in a low, graveled voice thick with sleep. 

Jaime kissed her again and marveled at the softness of her lips.

“Your lips were made for kissing.”

Brienne chuckled at that and wrapped the furs around herself and Jaime. They drifted back into an early morning slumber together.

**Author's Note:**

> Love you Oathkeepers ٩(๑> ₃ <)۶♥
> 
> Find me on Tumblr at bussdowntarthiana.


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